Last month, Fox News interviewed a “war hero” and glass artist who showed off a massive presidential seal he had crafted for President Donald Trump — but it turns out the man fabricated his entire military record.
John Garafalo — who told Fox News he was a decorated Vietnam War Navy SEAL — was featured in an October 8 segment in which he delivered an emotional recounting of his service, doled out praise for the president, and brandished his medals — which included two “Purple Hearts.”
“God bless John Garofalo,” said Fox News’ Eric Shawn at the end of the segment. “And we certainly hope maybe the president is listening.”
But when the 72-year-old New Yorker was tracked down by the Navy Times, he confessed that he had fabricated his service record: “Garofalo admitted he had lied and never served in Vietnam, never received a Purple Heart and was never a SEAL,” the Times reported.
Fox News was reportedly contacted a number of times over the false report, but it was not until the Navy Times story that the network addressed it. A correction was issued on Thursday:
Unfortunately, all of Garofalo’s claims turned out to be untrue. The fact is that he did not serve in Vietnam. He was never a U.S. Navy SEAL. Even though he showed us medals, Garofalo was not awarded two Purple Hearts or any of the other nearly two dozen commendations he claimed to have received, except for the National Defense Service Medal.
John Garafalo — who told Fox News he was a decorated Vietnam War Navy SEAL — was featured in an October 8 segment in which he delivered an emotional recounting of his service, doled out praise for the president, and brandished his medals — which included two “Purple Hearts.”
“God bless John Garofalo,” said Fox News’ Eric Shawn at the end of the segment. “And we certainly hope maybe the president is listening.”
But when the 72-year-old New Yorker was tracked down by the Navy Times, he confessed that he had fabricated his service record: “Garofalo admitted he had lied and never served in Vietnam, never received a Purple Heart and was never a SEAL,” the Times reported.
Fox News was reportedly contacted a number of times over the false report, but it was not until the Navy Times story that the network addressed it. A correction was issued on Thursday:
Unfortunately, all of Garofalo’s claims turned out to be untrue. The fact is that he did not serve in Vietnam. He was never a U.S. Navy SEAL. Even though he showed us medals, Garofalo was not awarded two Purple Hearts or any of the other nearly two dozen commendations he claimed to have received, except for the National Defense Service Medal.
